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Anyone who shops along South Granville knows that there is an abundance of places to get the latest in everything from fashion trends to home decor – but where can you go for for well-crafted specialty coffee when your puppies need a rest? Fear no more, Bump ‘n Grind Cafe has opened opened up their second location, giving the neighbourhood exactly what it needed!

Bump N Grind is a Vancouver-based, independent speciality coffee house owned and operated by Cheryl and Kyle Wright. This husband-and-wife team is passionate about quality coffee and food. This is clearly evidenced by the impeccable selection of tasty treats that are baked in-house, not to mention their serious attitude toward selecting the best quality beans.

Inspired by the trend of baked-good-hybrids, popularized by Chef Dominique Ansel with the Cronut (a combination of a croissant and donut), Bump N Grind continues to offer its signature Mookie (above) – the light, fluffy texture of a muffin on the inside combined with a firm, cookie-like exterior. Not to mention, it’s vegan! Continue reading →

I mean, I joined my FIRST soccer league in my 30s! Most of my hobbies growing up included arts & crafts, reading, cooking, performing in plays and doing indoor activities. On the weekend, my parents would drag me grocery shopping or to the mall. As a result, my adult brain still doesn’t automatically think, “Let’s do something active!” Instead it thinks, “Oooohhh it’s kind of chilly outside, let’s stay in.” I really have to work at pushing myself to workout, to go to the gym and make being active a part of my lifestyle.

So I’ve developed a series of tricks to motivate myself to exercise. Here’s what I do:

1) Start Scheduling – I sit down with my planner and my laptop on Sunday and start booking myself into every workout class I want to take at the start of the week. Signing up makes me accountable and I can pick the days and times that work well for me. If I don’t show up and I don’t cancel in time, I still have to pay. So that really motivates me to drag myself to class. After about the first 15 minutes, I feel really good and never have any regrets about going. Continue reading →

Who says hash needs potatoes? If you’re going gluten-free or trying to lower your gluten intake, this is the perfect weekend brunch recipe. The fresh spinach and nutty grains balance the earthy sweetness of the beets. Another alternative would be to double the recipe and make a big batch of the grains at the start of the week and add an over-easy or poached egg in the morning.

Makes 2 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 slices bacon, chopped

1 cup (250 ml) chopped onion

11⁄2 cups (375 ml) hot cooked certified gluten-free whole grains

1 can (15 oz/425 mL) whole beets, drained and diced

1⁄2 cup (125 ml) ready-to-use gluten-free vegetable or chicken broth

6 cups (1.5 L) packed baby spinach leaves

2 large eggs, poached

PREPARATION

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Drain off all but 1 tsp (5 mL) fat from skillet.

Add onion to the skillet and cook, stirring, for 5 to 6 minutes or until softened. Add grains, beets and broth; reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring up bottom crust two to three times, for 10 to 12 minutes or until warmed through and browned. Add spinach on top, cover and cook for 1 minute, until wilted. Stir spinach into hash.

Divide hash between two plates. Top each with a poached egg and sprinkle with bacon.

To poach the eggs, pour enough water into a medium skillet to reach a depth of 11⁄2 inches (4 cm). Add 1⁄2 tsp (2 mL) fine sea salt and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Crack each egg into a separate custard cup. Gently slide one egg at a time into the simmering water and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes or until egg whites are set (the yolks will be only partially cooked); cook longer for more firmly set yolks. Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer eggs to hash.

I have been a fan of Sarah Richardson’s design work ever since her first show on HGTV. I love her mix of playful patterns and fun colours that really work to pull a room together. I’ll admit, there are times when I think, “No way does that remotely go together!” And then what do you know? She pulls open the makeover curtain for the final reveal and everything just syncs up perfectly without being too matchy-matchy. Her design aesthetic is more complimentary then anything else.

I’m sharing one of the very FIRST blog posts I had put up on This Beautiful Day. It’s an oldie, but a goodie – full of life lessons I seem to keep learning and confronting over and over again. Hope you enjoy! xo – Lisa

My 20-something self was a lost, people-pleaser that was more concerned with being liked above anything else. Girls are generally raised to be nice, not necessarily assertive and though I was goal-oriented, by vision was fuzzy and a little naive. I had a warped sense of direction. Here’s what I would have told my 20 year-old self:

1)Set Reasonable Goals – Yes you can aim for the world, but break your goal down to small attainable steps to lead you towards what your bigger vision is for yourself. The point is not to set yourself up for failure, that you beat yourself up and not start over. It really is about small steps. What do you need to do next to get to where you want to be?

2)Forget About Being Liked – People should like you for who you are. If they don’t, too bad – that’s their loss. I wasted a lot of my 20s worrying about being liked. Spend that energy thinking about what you want. No one else is going to do this for you. I would also like to add that you should not waste any time trying to impress people you don’t like. Trying to be friends with the world is exhausting. See my people-pleaser problem above. Continue reading →